War and Dominos

We approach the new year with the stench of war hanging around us. As the rhetoric between Iran and America increases the actions are undeniably naive and downright dangerous.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al- Malki talks of "rivers of blood" as America once again forgoes its morality to support a strongman set upon abandoning a power sharing government. To this end the Obama administration is supplying weaponry and training of US$ 11 billion.
The House of Khalifa must be quaking in their sandals.
Obama has also approved the go ahead of half the US$60Billion arms sales to Saudi Arabia . Now he has tasted blood this President is lapping it up. Remote wars always kick start the economy and have been used time and time again.
However his targets are not as soft and the coming year will see no doubt the fall of many US friendly regimes.
Even Vladimir Putin has discovered when the people lose their fear the apparatus of government starts to collapse.
With the Arab League monitors already admitting their mission in Syria is doomed to failure , and witch-hunts becoming the norm in Jordan the Israelis are encouraging the plans for "Al Wataan al badeel" or Jordan to become a defacto alternative for Palestine as they build more and more illegal settlements making a two state solution unworkable.
With Assad and others seeing the writing on the wall and the Army in Egypt stifling revolutionary change the Holy land will once again experience war as the circle has come round and the only legitimacy that remains is that of the Palestinian cause.
This time the consequences of war are far greater the appetite for more than regional players to get involved much more determined.
Watch the domino effect and pray I am wrong.

Oh what a lovely war.

With the Euro in shambles and America in recession it won't be long before a new war is provoked to kick start the military industrial complex of the West.
The prime target playground for this folly has without doubt got to be somewhere in the Middle East. As Libya proved to be a great venue to test and showcase the latest the West has to offer in Aerial death technology, and reconstruction profits start trickling back the thirst for more will play its role.
With tensions already high in Syria and Iran upping the rhetoric as well as the drama by seizing the British Embassy and raising their flag, it will only be a matter of time when someone somewhere will be responsible for sparking what could be another disastrous episode in history.
The dynamics for counter revolution are already surfacing in Egypt and have been apparent in the Gulf from the start. With the Turks experiencing a new Ottoman resurgence, the Russians and Chinese will not be sidelined this time round.There will be no long term winners only a few war profiteers suckling on the nipple of an exhausted Mother Earth.
Well nobody got rich without war.

Libya's water.

The pillaging of Libya has begun, and Hilary Clinton has staked Americas Claim.
Though the French , British and Turks had sent higher ranking delegations you were left in no doubt that La Clinton meant business.
Everything from building schools, treating war veterans, to boosting civil society ,Tourism  to integrating them into a modern economy to women's rights was mentioned.
A panacea for our time, this American cure all  was a shot across the bow for all have been eying Libya's two greatest assets, oil and water.
Though oil is generally recognised as being a major factor for the coalitions rapid support  for the overthrow of  Gadaffi  in order to secure future Libyan oil for Europe  it is water that is the secret long term asset. The Nubian Sandstone aquifers that lie under the Eastern Sahara contain enough ground water to literally turn the desert green and make Libya, Chad ,Sudan and parts of Egypt a breadbasket of the Middle East and the world.
When the Great Man Made River project was embarked upon in 1983, to supply water to the coastal regions and for irrigation it was ridiculed as a waste of resources another White Elephant. 
How wrong they were. This engineering marvel will without doubt give Libyans in the first phase food security and then as they hone their agricultural techniques be used as a spring board to feed their neighbours and beyond and thus greatly enhance Libya's standing in the world  and as a Gateway to Africa.
With China either buying or leasing agricultural land in overseas countries for large scale farming to feed its ever growing populations food needs the race is on to have control of vast fresh water reserves and Libya's deposed dictator realised this. 
The Libyan revolution was not only about freedom but the first of many wars to control the essence of life.

A thousand and one prisoners.

A thousand plus Palestinians are being freed from Israeli jails in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was captured some five years ago. No doubt their respective families have welcomed this especially as we approach the holiday season.
Again no doubt those involved in the negotiating process faced numerous obstacles till the conditions for an agreement suited both the Israelis and Hamas and their ultimate masters.
It is not that the Israelis value human life more than their Palestinian counterparts or that Hamas were brilliant at negotiating. There are practical considerations on both sides. The cost of incarceration and the erosion of human values on both parties has been high.
Hundreds of Palestinians denied due process and a young Israeli soldier kept in incommunicado  exposes the worst in our frail humanity.
 Rumor  and counter rumor surround  the politics involved behind the swap, from the distancing of Hamas from Syrian / Iranian patronage and American need to have closer ties to Islamic groups ,to the desire of Netenyaho to humiliate Abu Mazin for his unilateral application for full membership to the U.N despite American threats to exercise their veto at the Security council. Whilst there may be truth in these, and many more fanciful theories , the extent of subterfuge and backstabbing particularly as details emerge of the close working relationships between the intelligence agencies of America Israel Egypt and Palestine never fails to impress.

Let us hope that Marwan Barghouti is also released and this era heralds better understanding between all the parties involved. The value of human life is important and nobody has a monopoly on that.

Extrajudicial killings and a one term President

The extrajudicial  killing of two American citizens in Yemen, ordered by President Obama has set  another dangerous precedent  that has serious and far reaching implications for the US Constitution and its controls on the restraint of executive power.
At some point the American government changed its policy of kidnapping terrorist suspects and flying them to Guantanamo for trial,  to just killing them. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial or even unfair trial blown out the window by the drones they employ or in the case of Bin Laden the Navy seals that made up the assassination squad.
This must surely be a deeply disturbing development and Obama's refusal to allow the advice he was given to be interrogated publicly bodes badly for his presidency.
For an eloquent man he has become increasingly incompetent and unable to convert his vision either at home or abroad.
The economy is in shambles, his confused and hypocritical foreign policy especially with regard to the Arab Spring and his continued blind support for Israel , is isolating America and harming its long term interests. From a man of promise he has become a man of promises.
Gone are the chants of " Yes we can"  and now only faint echoes of the man who was elected can be heard.
Whether it is the office of the Presidency that has caused this insolence or whether the advice he is receiving is tainted and corrupt only time will tell, however this looks increasingly like a one term Presidency.
In the meantime, as he reflects on his opposition to a Palestinian state or he grapples with the murders he has ordered for political gain he would do well to remember the following thought from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic…but one must take it because it is right".

Women lashes and the vote in the Kingdom

Recently the Custodian of the the Two Holy places (a.k.a) King Abdullah bin Abdel Azziz Al Saud overturned a court decision that sentenced a woman to ten lashes for breaking an unwritten rule of  females driving in the Saudi Kingdom upsetting many of the conservative and religious elements in the country.
S&M enthusiasts apart, this was the right decision by the ageing King.
Then in a surprise move he announced that women will soon be able to vote in Saudi Arabia, and even though they still can't drive a car, they will be allowed to vote in municipal elections and will also be allowed to hold office.
I can't help but feel there is a fundamental flaw in this cunning reform move though I cant quite put my finger on it.
As one grump proclaimed "Now it's driving [women want]. After five years it will be taking off the abaya [all-covering veil and gown], after 10 years they will ask to be allowed to wear short skirts. This is how it's going, that is how I feel."

Whatever next?

Palestine's Rosa Parks moment

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, age 42,an African American civil rights activist who would later be referred as "the mother of the freedom movement",refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.Parks' act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and she became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation.
Today September 23rd, 2011 at the United Nations, NY, NY, Mahmoud Abbas , the President of the Palestinian  Authority will submit Palestine's application for full membership to this world body.
The Americans despite their magnificent rhetoric in the past have openly stated they will oppose and if necessary veto this application. Domestic political considerations aside the Americans have finally showed what everyone knew that they can not be the honest broker they claim. With a fine disregard to the rules he set out Obama once again will bow down to Israeli pressure and AIPAC donations.
It is a pity that the morally right thing to do is yet again being bypassed for political pragmatism and the freedoms enjoyed by the United States are consistently being denied to the Palestinians.
This is our Rosa Parks moment, an important symbolic and peaceful gesture to let the world know we will no longer sit at the back of the bus.
God bless Palestine. 

Palestine and the miracle of statehood.

Two recent articles sum up what recently is on my mind one in the observer and an article by Henry Siegman. I have posted both below.

Henry Siegman writes:

"Is there anyone familiar with the history of the Israel-Palestine peace process who still believes that this Israeli government would defy the over half-a-million settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — by far the most influential political force in Israel — and their networks of supporters within Israel, and present Palestinians with a reasonable peace plan for a two-state solution that would be acceptable to even the most moderate and accommodating of Palestinian leaders?

Shelly Yachimovich, an Israeli Knesset Member who is a leading candidate for the Labor Party’s leadership, recently declared that Israel’s settlement project is “not a sin or a crime” since it was initiated by a Labor government, and therefore “a completely consensual move.” Leaving aside the bizarre notion that the consensus of thieves legitimizes their theft, if these are the views of candidates for Labor Party leadership in today’s Israel, what prospect can there possibly be for an acceptable peace accord to emerge from the peace process?

And is there anyone who witnessed the frenzied applause that greeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most recent speech before the U.S. Congress in which he left no doubt about his government’s intentions for East Jerusalem and for the West Bank, or heard President Obama’s assurances to AIPAC’s conventioneers that the ties that bind the U.S. to Israel are forever “unbreakable,” who still believes that the U.S. will ever exert the kind of pressure on Israel that will finally change its cost/benefit calculations with regard to its colonial project?

These incontestable realities give the lie to America’s absurd insistence — expressed most recently by President Obama on September 12 — that a Palestinian state can be achieved only as a result of an agreement between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. Surely President Obama must know that left to their own devices, Netanyahu and Abbas will never reach a two state agreement, and that the only purpose a resumed “peace process” would serve is to continue to provide a cover for further Israeli land grabs in the West Bank."

For the Zionist movement seeking an independent state of Israel, desire became reality in November 1947, when the General Assembly of the United Nations passed Resolution 181 supporting the establishment of a Jewish state in a partitioned Palestine.

That state was declared on 14 May 1948 by David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish people's council in a Tel Aviv museum. The state of Israel was recognised that evening by President Truman of United States and by the Soviet Union a few days later.

More than six decades later, Palestinians, who at first refused to accept the partition plan of the newly minted UN, are seeking similar recognition, firstly in front of the Security Council, asking for their own state based on the 1967 borders free from occupation and settlement by half-a-million Israelis, able to determine their own affairs.

The idea of a Palestinian state should be uncontroversial. The United States supports the notion, as does the UK. Indeed, in his 2009 Cairo speech, President Barack Obama insisted: "Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's."

Yet Obama appears determined to veto the move towards Palestinian statehood, while Britain has hinted it is likely to abstain in a Security Council vote.

Should the Palestinian request fail at the Security Council, it will then go to the General Assembly, where it seems likely that close to 130 states will vote to support a Palestinian resolution which will be able only to grant an enhanced status to become the equivalent of the Vatican – an "observer state". It will, however, be a deeply symbolic moment providing a political, moral and diplomatic victory for the Palestinian cause that the world will find difficult to ignore.

It will, significantly, also allow Palestine to become a signatory to the International Criminal Court, permitting it to pursue claims against Israel.

While it seems certain that European countries such as France and Spain will support recognition, what is less clear is how the UK will vote in the General Assembly, amid increasing speculation that it might support an enhanced Palestinian status of "observer state" with the right to complain to the International Criminal Court, but only if cases cannot be raised retrospectively.

The objections to a Palestinian state – driven by Israel with the support of the US – are dangerous and transparently self-serving ones, not least in the midst of an Arab Spring where the US and Europe have tried to present themselves as being supporters of democracy, freedom and justice.

The only valid mechanism for the creation of a Palestinian state, this argument goes, is the ongoing peace process, but in fact it is a moribund peace process, which Israel has done its best to smother under the obstructionist leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Equally contentious is the claim by some supporters of Israel that in seeking their own state through the declaration of the international community rather than direct talks, Palestinians are seeking to "delegitimise" Israel.

The reality is that what those opposing the moves at the UN are demanding is that Palestinians adhere to a non-existent peace process in the good faith that at some time it might be revived in the future under American guidance.

They also require Palestinians to refrain from moves that would expose the double standards of the White House and Congress which, while supporting a two-state solution in words, has not only failed to deliver one but now threatens actively to block that outcome.

Palestinians are right to be wary of the vague promise that things might be better in a revived peace process at some unspecified time in the future. Despite Oslo and 20 years of peace negotiations, as comparison of maps makes only too clear, the space available for a Palestinian state has only shrunk with each passing decade as Israel has continued to appropriate more land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The actions of the Israeli army in the occupied territories, as the recent book of a decade's worth of soldiers' testimonies by the servicemen's group Breaking the Silence has recently demonstrated, have not changed in the desire to control and disrupt ordinary Palestinian life on a daily basis.

The truth is that the occupation has become self-sustaining, both for the Israeli army which is implementing the policy, and for a partly militarised society and its politicians, who cannot persuade themselves to bring the occupation to an end.

There are risks, inevitably, in taking the issue of statehood to the UN, even in the end if it is only for the upgrading of its observer status. Moves on statehood threaten the long-fractious relationship between Fatah and Hamas, the latter of which opposes the statehood moves, particularly in its stronghold, Gaza, raising the risk of more political violence between the rival factions.

There is the danger, too, that the tactic will feel like a damp squib on the day after when Palestinians wake up to see nothing in their lives has changed.

But already the strategy has shed important light on a Middle East peace process in which a United States that has long cast itself as an impartial broker (while vetoing every crticism of Israel raised at the UN) is a far from neutral referee, even as its influence in the region has appeared diminished.

That new reality was dramatised last week with the explicit threat by Saudi Arabia that its important relationship with the US will be downgraded should America choose to use its veto. As in November 1947, we stand at a crossroads of history.

As British ministers deliberate how they will vote in the Security Council, they are confronted with the choice between what is morally right – supporting a Palestinian state – and hypocrisy justified in the name of pragmatism.

The state of Israel was founded amid risk and uncertainty, which those who supported it fully recognised. They did not argue that a Jewish homeland was possible only in the most ideal and secure conditions. That argument should not be used to further delay Palestinian statehood."

Maybe Mahmoud Abbas has finally found his backbone by his unilateral move and the Americans can finally shake off the AIPAC yoke that has been hindering their role as an honest broker. We not only have to believe in miracles but to rely on them. 

It aint over till the fat lady sings.

It looked like the battle for Libya may finally be over as the resistance fighters of the Transitional National Council made momentous gains as they advanced into Tripoli.
With scenes of euphoric jubilation in cities across the country and dubious confirmation that Psycho Saif and his brother Saadi  had been captured it looked like game over for Mad Mo.
Ah but this is Libya and every thing may not be as it seems.  To borrow a quote from former U.S Defence secretary Rumsfeld "There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."
The Gadaffi grip on power seems to be crumbling as a televised recording of the Colonel's voice ranting to the tribes to come to his rescue was the only semblance of resistance in the defense of the Capital.
His whereabouts are still unknown  as he called the rebels "traitors" and likened the situation in Libya to Baghdad .
It has become obvious that the T.N.C fighters have had considerable help in the last few months in order to break the stalemate. NATO played the role of the  air force and perhaps the navy. If there were not " boots " on the ground there definitely were sandals present to coordinate such a massive push with a hint of a mercenary if not a professional soldier core.
Have the tribes that supported Mad Mo up until last week just vanished? Have the core fighting forces given up or have they retreated to the South in order to regroup, securing the oil fields there before they fight back or as Saddam did in Kuwait set fire to the fields as a scorched  earth  policy?
Losing Tripoli may not be the end for Mad Mo who has a history for bizarre tactics and coming back from the brink and this is why the T.N.C has to act decisively in consolidating their victory.
So far their rhetoric sounds balanced and fair but after forty two years of totalitarian rule revenge is one of the human frailties that they have to reign in. Building up a pluralistic society , with laws that work will be a challenge .
The west have to learn from the mistakes of Iraq and advise them of the possibility  a long drawn out conflict as guerrilla warfare becomes a norm in the absence of clear leadership and rapid improvement in the life of the average Libyan.
It ain't over till the fat lady sings.  Next stop Damascus.

Facebook rioters

David Cameron has defended the court's decision to jail  two young men for posting on Facebook a page inciting disorder. 
There are two things which must surely cause consternation in the nation's collective conscience . Firstly the interference or perceived interference of the Government in the judiciary. Independence of this branch is needed to guarantee our liberties, and once the politicians start imposing guidelines and  give active encouragement or directives then we are on a slippery road.
Secondly  while the West was enthusiastic about supporting freedom of speech in the Middle East which incited the demonstrations that followed, here the Government was acting in the same manner as the dictatorships they claimed had to reform. No doubt these harsh sentences will be reversed once the "wild panic" in which these were imposed dissipates and rationality and consistency in the fundamental principles of the legal system are maintained.
There are many published authors whose work incite violence , here the postings did not lead to any violence but still the two young men were sentenced to four years. This short sighted reaction could ultimately lead to erosions of our civil liberties and undermine the independence of the criminal justice system.
It is time to take a look at the underlying symptoms that caused this temporary madness instead of knee jerk sentencing on failed recreational Facebook rioters. 

China 's role

As London is gripped in a spate of recreational rioting coming quickly on the heels of the US debt crises and Euro fiasco, Dave Cameron is forced to cut short his summer holiday. The fact that most of the rioters can't afford to go on holiday seems lost on Cameron and his government.
Meanwhile the former Syrian Defence Minister is found dead from multiple shot wounds hours after his removal, in an apparent suicide technique  that is peculiar to the Levant.
Saudi Arabia , Kuwait and Qatar finally make a small gesture to humanity as they recall their ambassadors from Damascus as the butchering of civilians continue. Even Turkish efforts to convince the Syrians to send their soldiers back to barracks fell on deaf ears.
Emboldened by Iran and taking note of the fate of Mubarak and Saddam , the Good Doctor will continue to cause carnage until he can negotiate himself out of crimes against humanity trial in the Hague or secure safe passage for him and his cronies and his money.
With Moscow being hesitant on this one Bashar has a little more leeway unlike Mad Mo in Libya who is now moving dead bodies around to areas that NATO bombed in an effort to embarrass the now largely leaderless organization.
Rumors of a split future Syria being staging point for attacks on a nuclear Iran are wishful and fanciful thinking despite Moscow's envoy to NATOs statement.
As stock markets crumble quantitative easing will not be found in funding further unnecessary conflicts however mass murdering dictatorships have no role in the modern world. These dictators need to be brought to justice and there has to be a more efficient formula for their exit from power.
The Chinese who have remained astutely quiet should stand up to the plate and assume the leadership role they have so craved.

Syria and the Devil.

 So the Holy month has arrived and the ophthalmologist come mass murderer continues the slaughter of his own people in attempt to subdue attempts at dissent. The international community still looks on impotently with  even the normally vocal Turks conspicuously silent as the tanks shell Hama for the second day. It is said that the gates of hell are closed on the first night of Ramadan and all the devils chained. Not so in Syria!
This regime is in its dying throes but one senses that humanity at large should be active in preventing this human cull.
With barely an attempt at outrage the Americans, who have been locked in a partisan fight about increasing the debt ceiling and already feeling war fatigued from years of fighting in the wrong wars, have acknowledged their Middle East failures and limit their interaction to a few soundbites. The Europeans are just as bad letting crass commercialism determine their political morality .
I can only pray that there is a spiritual awakening within the corrupt regime that will internally put a stop to these massacres, and for the sake of closure this despot and his cronies are brought to justice.

Boy racers And friends of Zoro

As the Holy Month of Ramadan approaches, London, my favourite Arab city begins to brace itself for an August without them as the boy racers and Black Moving Objects , hey any friend of Zoro is a friend of mine, begin to migrate to their respective motherlands .
No doubt the shops will miss them as will the cafes and shisha bars that have become commonplace in the Capital.
Even the noisy boy racers in their Viagra upped super cars will hang their keys till next year after this weekend.
The out maneuvered Moroccan and eastern European young ladies who play an important role in the sex lives of these visitors must be sighing with relief as their gulf counterparts took no prisoners in the lucrative summer sex market.

With a heat wave expected it will truly be a hot summer and us locals may finally get some peace.

The Clock is ticking.

The clock is ticking for not only Gadaffi and Assad.
Mad Mo is making a last stand as the French try to find a political solution before the beginning of the Holy month of Ramadan.  His ranting of taking the war to the heart of European cities are just rantings as America finally acknowledged the TNC as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people opening up the way to get their hands on Libya's frozen overseas assets . And so the war profiteers continue to celebrate as visions of billions being syphoned their way become a reality.
Nice to know that capitalism dressed up as justice and democracy is still able to rear its ugly head.
Syria which continues to massacre its own citizens at an alarming rate has now crossed the invisible line that compels the International Community to act in unison. The turning point could have been the heavy weaponry and scud missiles sent to Hezbollah that could target not only major cities in Israel but in neighboring Arab countries too.
Assad unlike other deposed leaders will  only find refuge in Tehran as he is unwelcome in Saudi Arabia a traditional sanctuary for deposed despots and no doubt he would want to escape the Hague.
If recent rumours of a US -Russian - German initiative takes hold his departure though inevitable may be sooner than we think.

Saleh of Yemen will be in Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future and with waning American influence on Saudi policy as King Abdulla  is still seething at the way the Americans treated Hosni Mubarak and how they handed Iraq to the Iranians the Khalifa family of Bahrain have a temporary reprieve.
Then we come to Palestine and their bid for statehood. As a Palestinian I can not renounce the right of return of other Palestinians and neither should Abbas. Time demographics and changing world opinion make a purely Jewish state unfeasible. The Israeli intransigence to a viable two state solution and the extent of the land heist of Palestinian ancestral lands makes a mockery of an unified cohesive Palestinian State.
I say just wait it out till the  Israeli's are forced to annex us then let them try in this day and age not to give us the universal freedoms that are enjoyed in the free world . If it is not a just solution it is not a solution and we should no longer fear to stand up and be heard.

The World is watching and hypocrisy and double standards no longer are the order of the day. The clock is ticking

impotent america

With the holy month of Ramadan less than three weeks away the world is no closer to getting rid of Gaddafi in Libya, or Assaad in Syria. In fact both dictators seem to be emboldend by the impotence and lack of resolve shown by America and its allies.
The NATO bombings no doubt have taken their toll on Gaddafi's ageing military capability  but months after the campaign started it is NATO's  determination that is beginning to show cracks.As for Syria democratic rhetoric has only empowered the bloodthirsty regime to continue its brutal crackdown.
Partly due to the hypocritical approach that America has chosen to apply to the Middle East and partly due to incompetence, corruption and moral failings the influence they once enjoyed is rapidly fading.Their lack of a coherent and just solution for the Palestinian Israeli issue and their reliance on corrupt dictatorships have helped erode the core values they claim to espouse
Unfortunately there is no political Viagra to cure the impotence, with a failing economy and confused sense of morality the once infallible America no longer holds the key to peace.
Change in the Middle East is inevitable and it is up to the citizens to take charge of their destiny and no longer rely on the lip service to democratic values that  the west claim as their own. 
The people of the Arab spring have shown remarkable courage, over coming their fear to shake of the shackles of repression. The hypocrisy they received shows it is time to remember the great heritage of the Arabs for it is there where true emancipation lies.

Phonegate

Rupert Murdoch is flying into London to deal with the" Phonegate" scandal at his News of the World publication.
Murdoch's interests stretches all around the world, would be Presidents and Prime -ministers  seek out his endorsement if they want to be elected or reelected. He is a powerful man. He backed wars, and swayed public opinion but suddenly a hacking scandal could jeopardize his media empire .
He announced he will shut down his most successful Sunday paper this week in an effort not to derail his Satellite TV ambitions as he awaits control over BSkyB.
Hundreds will lose their jobs, former editors have been arrested and the cynical amongst us think he will wait a few months and launch a reinvented version of the paper. Others think he might focus more on the growing Indian and Chinese markets, but whatever he does he will no doubt be ruthless.
What surprises most people is he did not sack his editor Rebeekah Brooks despite it being the obvious choice. I wonder who she is sleeping with?

Room Service

With the sex assault case against Dominique Strauss Khan on the verge of collapse it looks like the soul searching it invoked on how Frenchmen treat women will only be temporary.
Having been made to resign from his job as head of the International Monetary Fund after being accused of attempted rape and and forcing his victim to give him oral sex the " compelling and unwavering " victim seems to be less convincing as prosecutors and defence lawyers begin to unravel major flaws in her credibility.
What will be interesting to see is the lawsuits that would inevitably follow if the case collapsed.
The City of New York , the various police departments concerned  the State Prosecutors office and no doubt the media outlets world wide that rushed to condemn the man before he was tried will all be entangled in what would be a multi million dollar lawsuit.
No doubt he had sex with her as his lawyers argued that the sex was consensual and not forced.
Now whether he can make a political comeback as France's  leading candidate to take on Sarkozy will be interesting to see. In the meantime there will be many insurance firms quaking in their boots as they contemplate the enormous payouts should the charges be dropped.
Nice to see the universe has a way of correcting itself.

Arise Syria the great from your shackles..

Despite the lack of a military will  by  the World powers more help is needed to stop the mass and habitual killing of protesters.
Syria will no doubt implode from the inside if the economy continues to slide. As one diplomat put it "When they are no longer capable of paying the salaries of bureaucrats, the army, the police and their Alawite militia this crisis will balloon and bring about the collapse of the regime,this is a train wreck waiting to happen." Signs of stretched resources and fraying loyalties are already apparent so let us hope that Russian reticence to a meaningful United Nations resolution condemning the regime remains only as that and no financial assistance is afforded to it so it can continue the brutality so far displayed. Recent statements from Moscow are a little more reassuring however not enough.
By allowing the slaughter of his own people for the preservation of himself and his inner circle  has he lost any semblance of legitimacy and should be tried for crimes against humanity. This regime can not be part of a reform process with so much blood on it's hands.  Due to this lack of a military will  and the political get out of jail cards offered by the International  community and the World powers more help is needed to stop the mass killing of protesters.
For Syria's allies in Lebanon, the first step to support Damascus has already been taken. After months of delay, Prime Minister Najib Mikati formed a new Lebanese government  dominated by pro-Syrian parties, including Hezbollah.
That followed five months of political vacuum after Hezbollah and its allies toppled Western-backed Saad al-Hariri's coalition in a dispute over a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the killing in 2005 of statesman Rafik Hariri.
Hezbollah supported pro-democracy movements that toppled Western-backed leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, but officials say it will not stand idly by as international pressure mounts on Assad to yield to protesters. Hassan Nasrallah now sounded more like President Truman  who once famously said about the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza " he may be a bastard but he is our bastard" that he too did not care if Khamenei and Assad tortured and murdered their own people - so far as they kept him in business.
The fear for Israel is Asaad opens two fronts against Israel on the Golan and South Lebanon buying him more time to weave his deceit .
My gut feeling is despite international hesitation  there is growing real disassociation between his regional trading partners and military patrons.
Assad has become a liability to his partners and enemies and the extent of the evil his brother exhibited is an affront to humanity.
Aleppo rise up and make us proud, Damascus stand tall and show us the way don't lose thousands of yearsof noble history for four decades of misery. 

Syria responds

Yet again Syria has responded to anti government protests in the most brutal manner. Despite being given opportunity after opportunity to lead the reforms Bashar Al Asaad has chosen to take the path of repression.
Further sanctions by the European Union are more symbolic than effective and until his patrons in Russia apply more pressure this regime will continue to kill at will. Bashars regime no doubt will demand that Hizbollah open up a front with Israel and may even go as far as limited operations in the Golan to try to divert the momentum of anti government protesters and frighten an already tense region into believing that an all out war could ensue.
For a regime to encourage further misery for it's own preservation at the expense of it's citizens and regional neighbours is barbaric. 
Signs from Moscow earlier this week were a little more encouraging and may put further pressure on Asaad  if he thinks that Russia will find his replacement.
As the economy is getting shakier by the day the ability to continue to meet the salaries of the Army,bureaucrats  and regime loyalists becomes more difficult cracks will show.
The regime will crumble from within and if  the peoples of Aleppo and Damascus which so far have been relatively quite but have  shown signs of stirring, join the other anti regime protesters the regime is all but doomed and anything that Iran or Hizbollah could concoct would be futile.
Repression does not work and the Arab determination to be free from tyranny will not disappear. If Bashar and his bloodthirsty brother are not brought to account soon then more innocent lives will be sacrificed.

Thoughts at the end of the night.

Talking democracy.
I can't quite understand what people think democracy really  is. When Hamas won elections that did not meet western expectations suddenly they became pariahs. When the United Kingdom did not have a conclusive result you got a coalition of the sick effing the dead .Each culture in it's own way rebels against repression and in the transformation may become as repressive as it's predecessor. Change is inevitable, suffering optional .
Tonight I experienced a diversity of encounters all of them fascinating in their own way but also disturbing.
Disturbing in the fact that elitism, racism and ignorance were not only thriving but breeding as well. Now call me old fashioned but there were unwritten rules that were boundaries  for people to respect.
Today I for the first time felt shocked when comments like " I have black friends " ah " but Labradors don't count" were the mildest of offensive words that slipped off the tongues of supposedly intelligent people.
Once politics was discussed the conversations became even more animated . All is fair in love and war but unless economic considerations are accounted for then we are all going to be at each others neck. Life really is too short, let us try to achieve happiness which is a journey not a destination, otherwise the hardships of life will make us bitter not better.
We are living in an age where past brutal behaviour is no longer acceptable. When change is inevitable lay back and enjoy it and one should always remember that the universe has a way of correcting itself.
For me democracy is the right to self determination, the knowledge that one can criticise their leaders without fear of repercussion , the right to economic and political freedom without interference or intimidation.  Where meritocracy is acknowledged and mediocrity catered for. No one is intimidated or revered but all are appreciated for their part in the mechanics that make us live and thrive whether we are soldiers sailors tinkers or  tailors rich men or  poor men  beggars or thieves .
That is what is to be free to live in a multi plural environment that we can thrive in not just live.

From Spring to Summer

As the Western hemisphere officially celebrates the the first day of summer Syria braces itself for what could be a decisive and bloody Friday . The Arab spring is now the Arab Summer.
After a  weak speech  by Bashar Al Asaad that signaled that the regime was unable and unwilling to reform despite international calls for him to implement change and caused thousands to pour onto the streets to show their disappointment, it has become self evident that his rule is in it's dying throes.
With the economy in shambles and the population no longer appeased by his vague references for a national dialogue and blaming saboteurs,foreign conspirators and germs as the cause of the Syrians people's desire for freedom after more than four decades of autocratic rule, it is time for more pressure to be applied by the international community.
Despite the lack of a military will  by  the World powers more help is needed to stop the mass and habitual killing of protesters.
Syria will no doubt implode from the inside if the economy continues to slide. As one diplomat put it "When they are no longer capable of paying the salaries of bureaucrats, the army, the police and their Alawite militia this crisis will balloon and bring about the collapse of the regime,this is a train wreck waiting to happen." Signs of stretched resources and fraying loyalties are already apparent so let us hope that Russian reticence to a meaningful United Nations resolution condemning the regime remains only as that and no financial assistance is afforded to it so it can continue the brutality so far displayed.
By allowing the slaughter of his own people for the preservation of himself and his inner circle  has he lost any semblance of legitimacy and should be tried for crimes against humanity. This regime can not be part of a reform process with so much blood on it's hands.

The silence of the lambs

In only his third address since the uprising began in March, Bashar Al Assad managed to talk without saying anything of significance. Blaming the current unrest on conspirators he looked confused as he waffled on to a handpicked audience.
The International Community 's reticence about regime change given the fiasco in Libya has meant that the embattled President will continue to slaughter his civilians with impunity.Whilst there are calls for Turkey to apply more regional pressure the Russian resistance for any meaningful United Nations resolution in effect gives this homicidal regime a carte blanch for mass murder.
Instead of using this opportunity for significant reform and to curtail his psychopathic brother Maher's growing blood lust, the Good Doctor like many dictators have done lays the blame squarely on others. With a pro Assad government in Lebanon he might buy himself a little more time but that is all.
This regime has proved itself to be past its sell by date. His legitimacy has expired. Let us hope that internal squabbles in Moscow do not continue to hamper efforts to properly sanction the crimes this regime perpetuates on a daily basis against it's citizens and that the Lebanese do the right thing instead of being a pawn in this megalomaniacs arsenal.
This is the real silence of the lambs.

Russia Syria and Iran

A tragedy of significant proportions is unfolding before our eyes in the continuation of the monstrous  crimes against humanity being committed by the Assad regime. As Russia's last important sphere of influence in the Arab Middle East, Moscow is hampering any  significant action by the United Nations security council critical of Syria.
With growing signs of defection amongst the Army not wishing to shoot its civilians Bashars  bloodthirsty and homicidal brother Maher who heads up both the Republican Guard and the 4th Army Division, of whom the 120  soldiers who were killed defected from, has relied on Iranian mercenaries to continue the slaughter.
Reports from Syrians fleeing to Turkey confirm their presence.
This regime will never reform and will always use torture and slaughter as a mainstay of their power.
The Russians have a huge role to play if they don't want Syria out of it's orbit. The killings can not continue and those  responsible for the barbaric genocides including but not limited to Bashar , Maher and their brother in law  General Assef Shawqat have to be tried at the Hague.
The International Community have to find a reforming successor quick and if Russia want to remain influential and have a possibility of a Mediterranean naval base and a good geopolitical ally they should pave the way.
With Moscow having a good working relationship with Tehran , Farsi mercenaries are not the answer and Moscow must make it clear to the Iranians.
Russia has found Iran a useful ally in a host of political hot spots. In Chechnya, despite the use by the Chechen rebels of Islamic themes in their conflict with Russia, Iran kept a very low profile. In Tajikistan, Iran helped Russia achieve a political settlement, albeit a shaky one. In Afghanistan, Russia and Iran stood together against Taliban efforts to seize control over the country. They work together in relation to Azerbaijan, which neither Iran (with a sizable Azeri population) nor Russia wishes to see emerge as a significant power. In particular, the two states have worked to limit the development of Caspian Sea-area hydrocarbons by Azerbaijan, Kazakstan and Turkmenistan. In addition, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expands eastward and Turkish influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia increases, many Russian nationalists see close Russian-Iranian relations as a counterbalance.Syria has to be saved from this blood thirsty regime.
So they should find an alternative  leader who will remain sympathetic to their empire mentality and desires but acknowledges the Syrians aspirations to be free from tyranny and fear and the right to choose their destiny.
Otherwise they will lose any remaining credibility in the geopolitical outcome and become irrelevant as Asaad will no longer be tolerated by the world at large. 

Change or be changed.

As Britain and France push for a United Nations resolution condemning Syria that is acceptable to Russia more troops and tanks are gathering around the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour, near the Turkish border.
Led by the Good Doctor's  feared evil and cruel brother Maher " the Butcher "another massacre is in the making as the one hundred and twenty soldiers that were killed recently were most probably executed for refusing to fire on civilians. This could show signs that the edifice of Bashar 's regime is finally crumbling if dissension in the Army becomes widespread. 
If the Army is prepared to side with the people as they did in Egypt we could see rapid regime change.
Eager to blame everything on armed gangs and Al Qaida the Syrian regime has tried to depict them as "trained to use weapons, commit massacres, mutilate bodies and steal military uniforms and equipment, but are also trained to participate in the media misdirection against Syria, making the satellite channels that broadcast such videos accomplices in the crimes and massacres committed by armed terrorist groups against civilians, policemen and security and army personnel".
Joshua Landis - a US Syrian-watcher who tends to be sympathetic towards  The regime  told the New York Times "Bashar al-Assad has modern tanks and helicopters, a well-trained army, and lots of firepower. The opposition has Facebook."
However as more  Army and Security personnel defect to the side of decency it will only be a matter of time before regime change takes place.
Massacres as in the past are no longer acceptable and the Hague awaits this evil regime for the crimes against humanity that they have perpetuated and in the words of that other war criminal Tony Blair "change or be changed ". A warning to all dictators in the region I think.

Lies spies and a poisonous divorce

Spies, lies – and a poisonous divorce battle
June 7, 2011
She accused her estranged husband of stealing Ikos’s software trading secrets
in order to set up a rival hedge fund in Monaco, where he lives with his
24-year-old Brazilian girlfriend.

And as she sought to prove her suspicion by allegedly having one of their
former marital homes, in Steyning, bugged – along with his Aston Martin
sports car – the story had all the ingredients of a blockbusting Hollywood
thriller.

Until, that is, one of the world’s leading detective agencies allegedly
bungled its role in the operation so spectacularly that the slick Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie nail-biter degenerated into an Ealing Comedy with
Alastair Sim.

For, according to court documents, as the private investigators at detective
firm Kroll – motto: “When you need to know, call Kroll” – installed covert
listening and filming devices on behalf of the hedge-fund tycoon, they were
said to have made the schoolboy error of leaving behind a home movie of
their actions. Their movements and conversation were allegedly captured on
the very equipment they were hiding, which was triggered by infrared motion
monitors. This was discovered by the private investigators called in by
Coward (enter burly men in suits with flashlights) to sweep the house for
just such devices.

A similar sweep of the garage was said to have uncovered a GPS tracking device
on Coward’s car. Now his team has filed legal papers to find out the full
extent of the spying activities.

“The whole legal issue of installing CCTV in a property is a grey one,” says
Tony Smith of Insight Investigations, which has offices all over Britain.
“As long as the client has some right of ownership over a property you can
go ahead, but if it’s someone else’s property it’s a tricky route to go down
– although that sort of thing does go on.”

Smith says that this case is bound to see a rise in the number of people
asking to sweep their home for bugging devices.

“People are a bit paranoid about bugs, without much justification. For every
20 homes we sweep, there might be one that had surveillance equipment.”

Concern over sexual rather than financial fidelity is the foremost reason why
clients approach detective agencies. But agencies have their own rules.

“If we install cameras, we never go beyond the bathroom door,” Smith
emphasises. “We also prefer not to go inside the bedroom. Clients will ask
to have a camera trained on the bed, but if a couple are recorded entering
the bedroom at 10am and not emerging until 4pm, it’s obvious what they’ve
been up to.”

But let the cameras cut back to Ambrosiadou. Relations with her spouse reached
a low point when he borrowed the private Cessna in order to fly from Nice to
Greece; on his return, he claimed he was stopped by police and forced to
hand over the keys after his wife alleged he was using it unlawfully.

Meanwhile, according to one ex-employee, before Ambrosiadou started monitoring
her husband, she mounted a large-scale surveillance campaign against her
former staff.

In court papers, Tobin “Sam” Gover, a former money manager at Ikos who was
employed by Coward and later sacked by Ambrosiadou, claims he was spied on
by Laura Maria Van Egmond, a glamorous undercover agent (close-up of pouting
Mata Hari) who moved into a flat in the seafront apartment block in
Limassol, Cyprus, where he lived with his wife.

The woman was, in fact, Laura Merts, a Dutch spy, who was trained in “unarmed
combat” and “counter-terrorism”. She “went out of her way” to befriend the
pair and became a trusted family friend, spending Christmas with them and
often looking after their young son.

According to the legal papers, Mr Gover says he discovered the campaign to
extract “confidential and private information” in November 2009 when he
found out, from an internet profile, that Merts had been “engaged in covert
close protection and undercover investigation” while she was in contact with
the couple.

The High Court gave a default judgment in favour of Gover after Ambrosiadou
filed no defence, and she then agreed to pay damages.

Now the action sweeps back to Britain, where Coward is suing Ambrosiadou for
spying and harassment. He claims his privacy has been breached, along with
his human rights. Court papers state that the bugs “recorded a long
conversation between the claimant and his mother in the study, in which they
discussed a number of highly private confidential and sensitive issues,
including issues concerning the claimant’s business plans, investments and
tax affairs”.

He also claims that another agency was hired by Ambrosiadou to spy on him in
(whoosh! jump-cut to) Monaco and while he was on (whoosh! back to) Cyprus.

According to Eamon Javers, a Washington correspondent for CNBC and author of
Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage, London
is the global crossroads of the blue-chip espionage industry.

“When I was researching my book, I met a lot of ex-British Special Forces
operatives who had been in Iraq and Afghanistan and who were working in
surveillance for UK executives,” says Javers.

“There is so much money at stake that everyone is spying on everybody else. We
live in an information age where data is money. If you get more data than
the next guy, you have the edge.”

Technology, once the sole preserve of government intelligence agencies, is
considered a legitimate business tool by FTSE 100 companies fighting for
supremacy.

“Espionage doesn’t just happen in movies. It wouldn’t surprise me if the same
techniques spill over into executives’ private lives.”

And so our gaze returns to the conflict between Ambrosiadou and Coward. He has
made a series of damaging allegations about her stewardship of Ikos, giving
investors more than a touch of heartburn and resulting in a scenario
reminiscent of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in The War of The Roses.
For its part, the investigation agency Kroll refuses to be drawn on its
alleged involvement.

“As a general policy, we do not disclose the identities of our clients or
comment on individual client matters,” it states crisply. “Nor do we comment
on matters which are subject to ongoing litigation.”

What the dramatic denouement will be remains to be seen. Ambrosiadou is
divorcing her husband, which will doubtless be a major production,
especially if the 300ft Maltese Falcon is subject to a tug-of-love custody
battle. So hang on to your popcorn; it will make for a gripping sequel.

Syria and the Russians.

Russia having already conceded Libya and abandoned Mad Mo and his cronies to NATO and the Wests decision for regime change  looks likely to resist losing Syria and it's bloodthirsty Leader.Though the Good Doctor has brandished his homicidal credentials with virtual impunity , the International Community has at last started to recognize that a hypocritical approach to diplomacy is no longer tenable . Arguments that Bashar Al Asaad was essentially a reformer have been silenced in the wake of the massacres and atrocities that regime have recently committed .
Israel a one time advocate that Assad should stay on the premise that they have been enjoying a cold peace can no longer credibly sustain that argument with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak acknowledging that Asaad has lost legitimacy. If Israel has to shoot and kill unarmed civilians as they did last week as they attempt to cross the border whatever sympathy they might still retain will vanish. That may be the game changer for Assads departure.
The internal power struggle between the Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and his predecessor Vladimir Putin  that made Russia abandon Gaddafi  may not come into play with Syria as the stakes are higher with  Russian navel ships based at the port of Tartus being a potential Mediterranean military base, the  loss of Syria from its sphere of influence would be a severe blow both  politically and militarily. However if they can guarantee who will succeed they will dump Asaad faster than you can say perestroika. He is no longer a bankable proposition as he ventures further into the depths of depravity that his father and uncle knew so well.  Given the loss of Libya, and in the past the loss of Egypt then Iraq and Yemen and the waning influence it has in Algeria, it would be unimaginable that they would not have a plan B, and if that doesn't work there are another twenty four letters in the alphabet.
What is certain is that Asaads days are numbered.
At this point confusion seems to be the order of the day with the Chinese so far being the only long term winners.

Yemen Syria and the Chineese Victory

Lying in a Saudi military hospital Ali Abdullah Saleh seems unlikely to return to Yemen. For him it may have been a face saving strategy as he concludes a financial and political immunity deal and with most of his immediate family out it is up to his son who controls the Republican Guard or his brother who controls the Air force to ensure his ultimate deal.
Meanwhile in Syria the brutal regime continues to slaughter it's own unarmed civilians unchecked by the International Community. With estimates of over fifteen hundred slaughtered I am wondering how many more have to be killed before real action is taken?
With the death of young Hamza Alkhateeb , the thirteen year old boy who was tortured and mutilated prior to his death giving the Syrian uprising a second wind and with the opposition in exile having met in Turkey a more coordinated effort may result.
The Good Doctor who was preparing to declare victory after offering a political amnesty but now after having a taste of blood will wish to extract revenge on his citizens. If this is not a crime against humanity than what the hell is? His Iranian sponsors are going to have to work overtime.
The Saudis having given up on American reliability are a contemplating raising a Sunni Army to combat what they perceive to be a Shia threat emanating from Iran. No doubt their Oil reserves and financial capability will serve them well in creating more mayhem.
The UAE took the easier option of giving Eric Prince's Blackwater a six hundred million US dollar contract to put down any counterinsurgency.
In Libya Mad Mo has shown no signs of leaving despite continued NATO battering. Tripoli will soon feel the effects of food shortages and his grip of terror is loosening.
With Willie Hague turning up in Benghazi, albeit without his Defense Minister Liam Fox, the stalemate might be over. Mission creep seems to be working as there are more European troops actively coordinating the efforts. So much for boots on the ground, perhaps they were wearing sandals?
No doubt in years to come unless Wikileaks or similar give us a glimpse to the secret machinations of Foreign policy deals sooner it will emerge that the Europeans and Americans have agreed with the Russians at the last G8 meeting to regime change in Libya in exchange for letting Assad remain in Syria.
So much for supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Arabs !
As to Israel it seems that demography and intransigence is making a two state solution more and more unlikely and so like the rest of the Middle East it is their government that will be their ultimate downfall.
Arrogance and hypocrisy will keep the region embroiled for some time to come and while Obama and Cameron discuss their essential relationship their influence and relevance in the Middle East is waning fast. Their failing policies will be destined to go on the BBQ of history as bad plans badly executed.
At least China is happy with all this chaos keeping the West tied down from Libya to Iraq and Afghanistan, it can quietly evolve into the " super" market and super power it is destined to become.

We are all losers

When we get it in our heads, Political animals universally get themselves into trouble.
In France consenting liaisons  are part and parcel of power. Alfa males or Females are more liberal in their relationships.
Some like DSK have become under the spotlight, and if it was not by consent then he should pay the political price. He may have been set up , he may have believed she wanted him, only time will tell. Personally he made a misjudgment and punishment was served on him before he had a chance.
Politicians from all over the world have an ability to commit adultery and perversions just like their constituents. If it is consensual then let it be. They if married will be given their own hell at home.
Fidelity in the union of marriage is an aspiration not a fact.
So if a senator or congressman or minister transgressed that alone should not make him or her unworthy . Their stand of conscience on matters that affect and effect their citizens is far more important than their human frailty.
Wake up don't diss the good for their faults and don't glorify the bad for their closed mindedness.
This is a new and exiting time, there are international games that no one knows the outcome, China is frighteningly quiet on the Middle East, perhaps intelligently engaging the west in a fruitless pursuit. 
What we need is real leadership less hypocritical diplomacy and to get on with making the economic and political aspirations happen .
Otherwise it is chaos and carnage until we are all losers.

War crimes and military gangsters

The world waited sixteen years for the Bosnian Serb General and military gangster  Ratko Mladic to be arrested. Without doubt the Serb authorities knew of his whereabouts for years but chose to remain silent and to some degree excused his genocidal massacres of Muslims.
But at least he was captured alive and will eventually be tried at the Hague.
Pakistan was accused of withholding knowledge of Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts but once found he was not given the benefit of a trial but was extrajudicialy  killed. The rule of law was not seen to have taken place. A dangerous precedent.
Both were responsible for murder and death on a great scale and their respective trial or assassination will not bring back the thousands who died or were maimed or whose presence on earth was denied.
Yet there are others who have killed more and hide behind their offices or uniforms that still have not been brought to justice.The International Criminal Court awaits them all.
In the west Tony Blair and George W Bush spring to mind.
In the Middle East Hosni Mubarak might escape the Hague tribunal by his failing health. King Hamad ibn Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia by Saudi intervention. Ali Saleh Abdullah by an amnesty deal and Gaddafi most probably by a NATO bomb unless Jacob Zuma is able to negotiate an exit-exile strategy for him and his family. Omar Al Bashir of Sudan for the moment will escape due to Qatari intervention. However we have sen how fickle friends can be when you are no longer of use to them so no doubt those that survive old age or the assassins bullet may yet see the inside of  a courtroom.
Then we come to Palestine and the Goldstone report. Has the International community become so corrupt that it chose to ignore these war crimes just because Israel was involved?  Is this report now relegated to wipe our collective bottoms with? Has our humanity reached such depths of depravity that we allow the Children of Palestine to be ignored,or for that matter the Children of Syria to be continued to be massacred, some being tortured and flayed like young Hamza Al Khatteeb?
No doubt the universe has a way of correcting itself and Bashar Al Asaad and his bloodthirsty regime will be brought to task. Meanwhile his Uncle Rifaat is still swagging around the five star hotels of Europe casually boasting to those that care to listen about his role in the massacres in  Hama, Syria which claimed thirty eight thousand lives. Where is the ICC now?
A one rule approach is the only way to insure that these military gangsters know that the days of ethnic cleansing, genocide torture and repression are over.The carnage they have collectively wrought means they have to be brought to justice even when their expected conviction will not bring back the hundreds of thousands hurt, maimed, or killed in the slaughters there will be an emotional rejoicing in the knowledge that we are a people of laws.
Laws are what separate us from beasts let us not forget that. 

Armageddon and Hypocritical Diplomacy.

Rumours are abounding of a dangerous and ill conceived  secret Saudi Israeli deal being hatched for Saudi backing for a military option against Iran with America having negotiated the supply of armaments and weaponry including state of the art jet fighters and military bases in a sixty billion plus $US, this if verified ,brings the region ever closer to Armageddon .
As The Syrian regime plunges deeper into the chasms of brutality with the International Community remaining shamefully silent and Saudi Arabia pushing for a new Saudi ruled republic in southern Yemen it is astonishing to what degree America and Europe are willing to sacrifice their ideals for short term commercial pragmatism .
In Libya meanwhile Gaddafi is still ignoring the will of the International Community despite having finally lost the backing of Russia. The Cameron-Sarkozy visit to Benghazi supposedly to give backing to the transitional government will once again prove to be only a photo opportunity.
Whilst double standards and hypocritical approaches are applied to the desire for freedom and self determination then one can rule out any meaningful change in the region.
Israeli intransigence to finding a fair and equitable peace with the Palestinians will only add fuel to this fire.
Real freedom and peace must be universally applied. Hope has be able to triumph over adversity and commercialism otherwise our morality will be outflanked our perversions.

Look east .

The G8 wrapped up it's spring jamboree.The Presidents and prime ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States had met in the French resort of Deauville. The end result was another photo opportunity as they all congratulated themselves on what a good job they were doing.
The Good Doctor must be laughing in Damascus as he barely got a telling off for his continued brutality and talk of an exile strategy for Mad Mo and his psychotic family got an unimpressed Libyan response that the G8 was "an economic summit " and they were therefore " not concerned by its decisions".
With the usual rhetoric about democracy , freedom and the likes they cobbled together a paltry $forty billion as an incentive to democratize parts of the Middle East that are unimportant for them strategically but if that ever materializes no doubt it will be spent on goods from the donor countries and will not trickle down to the people whose aspirations they claim to be championing.
If that is the best the world has to offer in leadership then the decline of civilization as we know it is guaranteed.
Look east that is where the future is,the morally corrupt West is a lame duck.

The left hander

Seeing President Obama signing the visitors book at Westminster Abbey must have brought joy to those that believe in the American Dream.
Here we have the first black President brought up by his impoverished though hard working white family whilst his Kenyan father is obliterated from the history books. Against all odds he rises to the challenges before him and gets elected to the Worlds most powerful job.
Though he starts with enthusiasm and good intentions he soon realizes that is not how Washington works. 
Having lost control of both houses in the mid term elections he turns his attention to foreign policy where in principle he has a semblance of control.
For good measure he starts his own war in Libya but he can justify that and everybody knows you need your own war.
As events become more fluid he is told not to interfere in other areas where his allies interests are diametrically opposed to human rights and the rule of law.
So he gently  rebukes Syria, vaguely mentions Bahrain , ignores Saudi Arabia and whilst still brimming with hope makes the mistake of mentioning the Palestinian Israeli issue using  generally acknowledged parameters for peace.
The wrath of Netanyahu is unleashed before him as he is forced to back pedal to the all powerful AIPAC. Meanwhile his nemesis enjoys standing ovation after standing ovation as he plunges the area into guaranteed chaos with his clever forked tongue.
A foreign trip would make it all right there he is greeted like a superstar and no one mentions his humiliation. But then he has to sign the visitors book and guess what, he mentally goes back to a quieter time and writes May 2008 when the world really was his oyster.
In his clumsy left hand he scrawls his message.
Left hand? What in an Abbey that was built in the Middle Ages at a time they believed that a person writing with their left hand was possessed by the Devil.
How appropriate though I am sure that Netanyahu can be exorcised . Sinistra really. 

New middle east order

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's  President, called Barak Obama on the phone late one night. 
"I've had a remarkable dream, Mr. Obama" he said, "and it's something you should know about." 
"Well Mr. ,Ahmadinejad what was your dream all about?", queried the President. 
"I dreamed that the USA had gone through an enlightening reformation", he said, "and in front of every house was a huge banner." 
"That's intriguing, Mr. Ahmadinejad Tell me, what did it say on these banners?", asked Obama
"They all said the same thing: Allah is God, Allah is great", stated Mahmoud, as if he could taste victory. 
"It's quite odd that you should call me about a dream, as I had one the other night as well", said obama
"And what was your dream about, Mr Obama?
"I dreamed that Iran had gone through a reformation as well, and on every house was a flagpole." 
"So, what was on the flags?", asked the Iranian. 
"I have no idea", said Obama, "I can't read Hebrew."

The snake in the Garden of Eden had more morals

With Obama enjoying the full Monty on his State visit to the United Kingdom , talking about the "essential relationship" between the UK and the US and meeting the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to make up for his obvious absence at the royal wedding , Netanyahu used the opportunity to humiliate the US President once again.
This time in his speech to both houses of the US congress where he was received with no less than twenty five standing ovations as he spewed his distorted message to a hungry audience that is reliant on AIPAC's ability to raise money for the upcoming elections.
It makes a mockery of the principles that the United States were founded upon as lie after lie was lapped up.
 As Netanyahu said, to loud applause (and with President Obama clearly in mind), peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated. And Israel does not have a negotiating partner, thus exposing what all have known that it is his government that has no desire for peace.
Peace is a process not an an event and even an emasculated Palestinian State is a no starter for him. As one analyst put it it the Palestinians would " only be in control of the hight of their buildings and the depths of their graves" not any real semblance of sovereignty .
Shame on all who clapped and all who allowed this repulsive man to spin his eloquent web of deceit. The snake in the Garden of Eden had more morals.

Advice to Obama.

With rock star status Obama's Irish visit was for him a much needed boost after the humiliating drubbing he received from Netanyahu in his own office.
Though he had to leave early due to volcanic ash heading over from Iceland he did have a pint of the black stuff before heading over to London.
He must have needed that as he back peddled in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as he attempted to alleviate their concerns by saying that the the final Israeli Palestinian borders would differ from the 1967 lines because of " mutually agreed swaps" he had advocated.
He would be better served to try for the forty odd million American Irish votes as AIPAC are out to crucify him.
With nothing of great substance expected to arise from his European tour Obama will use this trip as a photo opportunity and try to deflect the critics over his handling of the obnoxious Israeli premier who is rapidly proving a burden to America, Israel and peace itself.
Let us hope fiscal realities will also play a part in getting the process moving. 
Enjoy Europe Mr President, don't gloat over the  extrajudicial killing of Bin Laden with the drubbing Netanyahu gave you and your hypocritical approach to the various aspects of the Arab desire for dignity and self determination you need to maintain a gravitas that has recently been lacking and with all their faults Europe respects the law.

A man of promises

As Obama arrives in Ireland ahead of his visit to the United Kingdom we are all left trying to digest the hypocrisy and the mediocrity of his major Middle East Spring speech.
Having been publicly rebuked by Netanyahu in his own office  over the Palestine Israel issue the rhetorical orator then grovels and back pedals in his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee the most powerful of Israel's voice in America.
Though he was politely applauded it is obvious that this is a President that is not either willing or able to do anything of substance whilst still in electioneering mode.
The losers are the children of Palestine and Israel, of Bahrain and of Syria and let us not forget the children of America who have to live with a squandered moral compass.
Alas we thought he was a man of promise only to discover he is a man of promises. 

Obama's humiliation.

Benjamin Netanyahu publicly humiliates Barak Obama in his own office by rejecting the US Presidents efforts on a Palestinian Israeli peace based on 1967 border demarkations  thus confirming Arab fears that Obama is really not committed to putting pressure on Israel especially as US Presidential elections are not that far away.
It was quite sad to see a grinning President as he was scolded quite the contrast from when he was gloating over the extrajudicial killing of Osama Bin Laden.
With the same old faces that have failed over decades still advising the President it is no wonder that Netanyahu feels empowered. Dennis Ross being instrumental in orchestrating this humiliation  instead of serving Americas interests.
Time and regional dynamics have changed however and if Israel remains intransigent and continues to suppress Palestinian aspirations then not only are they doomed but American influence will become irrelevant as the region will evolve using a different formula.
The moral high ground is with the forces of peace however Israel's continued rejection of peace despite it being the only long term viable option may give a voice to extremism which would keep wounds festering and only add to the chaos.
America should use its cheque book diplomacy to force Israel to accept the new realities on the ground instead of being frightened by the political logrolling that Israel and it's lobbyists  command in both the Senate and House of Representatives.  

An orgy of rhetoric .

In an orgy of rhetoric Obama's speech on the Arab spring was generally disappointing to both his Arab partners and his Israeli constituency .
Yes he scolded the homicidal regime in Syria whilst still giving the Good Doctor a get out of jail free card.
Yes he talked about self determination yet subjected the Palestinians to a budget version of it.
Yes for the fist time he talked about the 1967 borders for an Israeli Palestinian solution though warned about a UN vote on a Palestinian state where then America has a legal responsibility to ensure its implementation . 
Whatever hold Netanyahu has over Obama it seems to work as simultaneously he announced the urgent building of more settlements thus publicly humiliating Obama's  historic efforts . It still astounds me that both the Israelis and Americans don't realize that their relationship is a burden on not only themselves but to the International community. With changing  regional dynamics intransigence and unequivocal support is no longer acceptable or workable.
The pittance that was offered to Tunisia and Egypt pales in comparison to the $60 billion deal that they are currently negotiating with the Saudis.
All in all I think an opportunity was missed and though certain messages were sent the vagueness of it all smells of weakness on a President that is electioneering  and will most probably win by default.
When fundamental principles are sacrificed for political  and commercial advantage then any moral high ground and the right to pontificate falls on fallow ground.
So the West can not complain about the outcome of change if they are so hypocritical  in their approach to the same desires of populations in the various countries that make up the Arabian Spring.
China where are you? 

Time and History

Bizarre weekend as ever with Lady Gaga, who normally looks like a chambermaid staying at the Abu Dhabi owned Lanesborough  hotel while the IMF chief and possible French presidential candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn is taken off a plane to be charged with sexual assault and attempted rape following accusations by a New York hotel chambermaid.
Meanwhile in the Middle East the murders continue as despots and dictators attempt to cling on to power.
The israelis not to be outdone decide to kill a few Palestinians for old times sake and perhaps knowing that their intransigence has been their undoing in their last 63 years.
With Assad rumoured to be under house arrest and his wife in London the foundations of Syria look shakier than ever with fear no longer a factor the regime is on its way out.
Libya will shortly be liberated and unless reforms are quick the shackles or tyranny will fall elsewhere. Time and history is not on their side .

Maids Politicians and Me

 It emerges that Osama Bin Laden was shot in his underwear therefore confirming that it was an extrajudicial assassination as he could not have possibly been wearing a vest bomb despite the substantial pornographic collection that was also alleged to have been found . Meanwhile the IMF chief and possible French presidential candidate Dominique Strauss-Kahn is to be charged with sexual assault and attempted rape following accusations by a New York hotel maid, police say.
I remember the days that New York Chambermaids came with the room and governments did not discuss the perversions of the dead.

Headless chickens, war and robes

With the U.S Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell resigning over what I suspect is Israeli intransigence over the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian Territory just days before Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington may show at last to the world Israeli lack of resolve in finding a permanent solution to the Palestine issue.
 Fatah and Hamas having signed a unity accord last week has put the fox in the chicken coop with Netanyahu running around like a headless chicken as another barrier towards a Palestinian State falls. "You can not have peace with both Israel and Hamas" he warned.
The Israelis are now spreading rumours that Obama is actively courting the  Islamic brotherhood with the extrajudicial assassination of Osama Bin Laden being the fist step in eliminating radical Islam whilst supporting  the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Sura Council member Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who said he would run as an independent, for the Egyptian Presidency.
Meanwhile Suzanne Mubarak has supposedly suffered a heart attack whilst being interrogated for graft. Syria and Yemen should take note the longer you hang on the more likely you will be tried for your past crimes regardless of your age.
More deaths are being reported in Syria  and the Good Doctors cousin Rami Makhlouf was reported  as saying that Syria would go to war against Israel if the U.S and their allies did not back off from supporting the uprising. An unlikely scenario as the whole reason the Assad regime has survived is that it has been enjoying a cold peace with Israel.
Further proof that the regime is showing signs of weakness are the  rumours that the glamorous First lady Asma Al Assad has fled to London with her children while Hizbollah has decided to pull its heavy weaponry out of storage in Syrian military facilities as the suppression has become harder in the light of the dissemination of information and lack of fear the protesters are showing.
And me I think I have to get those robes flowing after all.

Kings and the dish-dash business

As Jordan and Morocco inch closer to becoming members of the Gulf Cooperation Council though neither are in the Arabian Gulf the benefits to them  are potentially  great.
In return for supplying security  they get access to cheep  oil and inward investments while belonging to a sort of Monarchs Club. Sort of the same criteria that was used to invite them to the Royal Wedding here in April.
The brutal Al Khalifa regime will be able to survive with perhaps the once all powerful prime minister there being sacrificed.Shameful really.
In Yemen a natural GCC partner Ali Saleh is still running circles around efforts to get him to resign. The longer he stays the worse off the region will be. Now if he had only made himself a King they might have asked him to stay.
Meanwhile in Syria rumours abound that the Good Doctors wife has done a runner with her three children and is now holed up in London. Let us hope she has done it for the right reasons namely she does not want her children to grow up knowing they will have to kill to stay stay in power. It won't be much longer now as the pillars of Assad's power begin to show signs of weakness.
In Libya the struggle continues against Mad Mo 's regime.
As for me I think I should get into the dish- dash business well with all these newly made Gulfies someone has to dress them in their flowing robes.